Are You Living Like a Spy? Pt. 1

Recently, my sisters and I have been watching an old 1960s television series called The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves while doing it. If you’re not familiar with it, the series is about two guys, Napoleon Solo (American) and his ever dependable partner Illya Kuryakin (Russian), working for an international spy organization called the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. They are constantly going all around the world fighting off the evil plans that come from the organization called T.H.R.U.S.H. The head of their division, Mr. Waverly, is constantly sending them out into impossible situations, sometimes calling them expendable.

Nearly dying in each episode, Napoleon and Illya work together to not only accomplish their mission, but to make sure the other doesn’t get killed in the process.

As I watch these episodes, I’ve gotten to thinking about life and began to draw parallels between it and the spies. Now, I’m not a spy (at least that’s what I tell people J ) and I’m not going to be crossing the desert or jumping out of airplanes with life or death information. However, I think there is stuff to be learned here…. 😉

In The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mr. Waverly sends Napoleon and Illya on extremely dangerous missions, ones they’re not sure they’ll come back from (of course, we know they will, because there is more than one season…but I digress), and they both willingly go with maybe just a raised eyebrow, but no complaints. Mr. Waverly has full confidence in their ability and never “wavers” in that (see what I did there). 😉 When they get to their places, they are fully equipped to handle any situation in the mission. They are strong enough to pull themselves up with their legs, or climb the side of a building with their arms. They can hold their own in a fight. They are sharpshooters. They speak several languages (well, at least Illya does). They can fly planes and helicopters. They are strong enough to carry someone. They have all the equipment you could want! These two are prepared for anything!

So what’s the parallel?

Are you prepared for what you want to do in your life?

In general, we don’t need to do most of the things that Napoleon and Illya do (well, unless you’re a spy… *thinking*), but there are things we want to do in life that we aren’t necessarily naturally prepared for. They are prepared to be a spy. We need to be prepared to do ____ (you fill in the blank).

If you’re an English-speaking American who wants to be a missionary to China, it would be really helpful if you learned Chinese. You can talk about wanting to be a missionary and wanting to go there all you want, but you really should cover the basics first.

Are you prepared to do life like you want to? Like God wants you to?

As you go through life, you will have friends and family who come alongside you. How can you be prepared to help them fulfill their passions in life? Can you be the Illya to their Napoleon? Time is an important part of being prepared. Do you have the margin in your life to be able to help your “partner” if needed?

Takeaways…

1. You might still be trying to figure out what you need to be prepared for. Do what’s in front of you. Maybe, you’re a student, ok…equip yourself to do the very best you can in that area, looking as far forward as you can and preparing from there. Write down your goals so that you see them and keep perspective.

1. Know that God has a plan for you and He (like Mr. Waverly’s trust in his agents) knows what you can do. God won’t give you more than you can handle and He won’t let you down.

1. When you make a mistake, keep going. If you stop each time there’s failure, that’s what you’ll remain.

1. Finally, work toward being prepared, but know that even Napoleon and Illya take vacations…get recharged. Do not push yourself so hard that you miss the whole point of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Go for it!

Mazukas Lubinas

#Articles #Spies